The hottest gifts this Christmas: shoppers spend up on drones, eco-products and activewear, according to Vend

Melbourne, Australia - 19 December 2018 - With Australia’s Christmas holiday shopping in full-swing, retail management software leader Vend has revealed the most-purchased products this December so far.

Based on Vend’s sales volumes for December, those receiving a gift this Christmas are most likely to get old favourites such as clothing - particularly a t-shirt, dress, or pair of Havaiana thongs - homewares, jewellery, or a game or puzzle.

But the products that have skyrocketed in popularity this year compared to last show wider consumer trends. Some of the hottest items being purchased this year are:

-       Eco and reusable products: increase of over 1000% from 2017

-       Computers and accessories: increase of 300% from 2017

-       Vintage vinyl and records: increase of 260% from 2017

-       Active wear: increase of 230% from 2017

-       Bath and body products: increase of 180% from 2017

-       Books: increase of 78% from 2017

-       Drones and Virtual Reality products: increase of 74% from 2017

Eco-products in particular this year are proving to be a huge hit with shoppers. Purchases for items such as reusable coffee cups like Keep Cups have grown by 1000% compared to the same period in 2017, while purchases of beeswax food wraps have increased by 600% and bamboo straws have jumped by 420%.

“It looks like many of us could be receiving some pretty cool gifts come Christmas day, as shoppers hunt out more tech items like drones and look to new, sustainable products,” says Dave Scheine, Vend Country Manager for APAC. “Although our data shows that a lot of our traditional go-to gifts, like socks for Dad, chocolates for Gran, and a handbag for Mum, are still very much a popular choice. For example, sock purchases have increased by 51% year-on year, chocolates are up 65%, and bags are up 147%.”

“Christmas spending on pets and babies also continues to be a trend from previous years, with animal lovers shopping for popular items like dog toy stockings, reindeer pet costumes, and decorative collars. While purchases on baby-related items has grown by 42% compared to last year,” says Dave.

Top products by city:

Who wore it better? While t-shirts, tops and footwear have been the top selling fashion items in Sydney in December so far, in Melbourne fashion spending has been focussed on dresses.

And Brisbane shoppers are showing themselves to be the most environmentally conscious, with purchases for eco-products in Brisbane far exceeding any other Australian city.

The most popular products this Christmas compared to other cities are:

-       Sydney: t-shirts, tops, footwear, drones and VR

-       Melbourne: Dresses, vintage vinyl and records, homewares, Christmas-related products

-       Perth: Jewellery, vintage vinyl and records, toys, books

-       Brisbane: Eco and reusable products, bath and body products, homewares

-       Adelaide: Crystals

- ends -

About the data

Vend Australian customer transaction data from 24th November - 16th December 2017 and 2018, from a sample of 3,000 retailers, the majority being small-to-medium and independent retail stores.

About Vend

Vend is cloud-based point-of-sale and retail management software that lets retailers run their business in-store, online, and on-the-go. Vend’s software includes inventory management, Ecommerce integrations, customer loyalty, and reporting analytics. Vend integrates with other world-leading business and payments applications including WooCommerce, Shopify, Square, Xero and PayPal, and is a key retail partner in Apple’s global Mobility Partner Program. Vend is trusted by retailers in over 140 countries and is used in more than 25,000 stores worldwide. Founded in 2010, Vend has offices in Auckland, Melbourne, London, San Francisco and Toronto, and has raised more than A$60 million from top-tier investors. For more information, please visit: http://www.vendhq.com/au.